Discussion

Best cook-at-home veggie burgers? [moved from Boston board]

[Since the discussion on this thread has been more about what brands of veggie burgers to buy, rather than where in Boston to buy them, we've moved this discussion here to the General Chowhounding Topics board, so hounds from everywhere can chine in with their favorites -- THE CHOWHOUND TEAM ]

I'm interested to find a really good cook-at-home veggie burger. I've had fantastic ones in restaurants - notably last night's delicious one at The Joshua Tree in Allston, which tasted like it was made up of mild mushrooms and seeds like sunflower seeds - really, really good. But every veggie burger I've bought in a store has been variations of terrible - dry, bland, too strongly flavored, etc. There have got to be good veggie burgers available in grocery stores around here - as much as I love dining out, I don't want to be forced to do that every time I want a healthier alternative to a good cholesterol-laden beef burger. So where might I find tasty veggie burgers in Boston?

not being an official veggie, I don't know if this counts, but gardenburger has a chipotle black bean burger than is really good, and I usually don't eat veggie burgers! Top with some cheese and a nice mustard/mayo combo it's quite the tasty dinner!

Boca burgers are pretty good..they have tons of varieties.Trader Joes used to have a mushroom based one that was fantastic, but I'm not sure if they carry it anymore, as they're big on rotating out all the things I like there.

Based on a tip from another chow, I love gardenburgers, available at Trader Joe's, and maybe WF...They have a tomato/Mozz that's good, but for true burger taste, their vegan griller is darned close!

Also, and I have this discussion all the time with TC, you MUST cook these in a pan; a cast-iron skillet, at med-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, gives the best results..This goes for all of them...

Personally I could go through tons of meatless corn dogs or chickenless nuggets or patties. It's not really the actual chicken or hot dog that makes those good; it's the outside. ;-) I'm sure there are bad examples of each of those, but anyway, I don't buy them because the real vegetarian in the house doesn't much care for those things. I am not vegetarian but at home stick to things that we will both eat, for the most part.

TJ's Masala Burgers are quite good, though. It's a staple in our freezer; we try never to be without them (along with TJ's Meatless Meatballs). Although I'm getting a bit tired of them I've realized recently and might need to branch out to some new varieties. Might try that Gardenburger chipotle black bean, that sounds good.